Spiral is a quick way to carry out formative assessments in the classroom or during distance learning.
Engage students in lessons and at home with simple to use everyday learning activities.
Spiral Lite is the free version of Spiral, within this you get access to Google Classroom integration, the Spiral Dashboard and many more features including Quickfire Lite, a tool that allows you to ask a verbal question in the class or on a Meet and the student can respond from any device.
Launch an activity or post an assignment to be completed asynchronously
Students connect with the activity using a simple codeon any device
Students answers appear live so they can learn from each other
Or you can review, grade and feedback assignments off-line
Free Features
In Class
Run live activities with students, review and grade them
Quickfire Lite
Live assessments
Dashboard
Build activities and assignments
Feedback and Grading
Realtime feedback
Build evidence of student learning
Timeline and Exit Tickets
Record of each class session
Record of each student’s learning
Share results with parents
Google Classroom Integration
Import class list
Student Dashboard
Students can see all assigned work
Can see grades
Quickfire Lite
Take a look at the video below to see about how you can use Quickfire Lite for classroom based or virtual teaching.
Scribbl is an online transcript creator for Google Meets. It’s simple to use, once you’ve signed, you just add Scribble as a member of the Meet session and it will automatically transcribe everything that is said in your Meet.
Their FAQ page has a tonne of information to help you see if this is right for you – https://www.scribbl.co/faq
You get 240 minutes for free, that can be a number of small sessions or one big meet that you want transcribed. After you’ve hit 240 minutes you can purchase more minutes. It works out roughly 3p per minute but you need to purchase them in chunks of 120 minutes and upwards.
Screencastify is the #1 screen recorder for Google Chrome. Capture, edit and share videos in seconds.
Screencastify is a Google Chrome extension that is available from the Chrome web store. It enables you to create screencasts and videos on a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook. In addition to recording your screen, it combines annotation tools, record from your microphone for voice over, and you can record yourself with a picture-in-picture overlay of your webcam. Everything you record is saved to Google Drive so you can easily share the video with students, embed it on a Google Site, or upload to YouTube.
You can use Screencastify to create recorded lessons, tutorials, or giving feedback. It is often quicker and easier to convey how to do something in a video, rather than writing a long list of steps. To see an example of Screencastify in action view my video below.
Mote lets you record a quick comment in Google Docs. It’s tagline is; the faster, friendlier way to comment on docs.
The mote Chrome extension makes it easy to add voice note feedback for students within Google Docs, Google Classroom, Slides and Sheets. You can quickly add a comment in simple terms without having to worry about how it may come across in the written word.
mote’s mission is to make document collaboration faster, friendlier and more powerful.
Fast
We type around forty words per minute – but speak up to three times faster.
Friendly
Stay connected with students, even when you’re no longer able to be together in the classroom.
Flexible
We transcribe every voice note, so students can choose to read, listen or do both.
Voice Notes
Fast, friendly and transcribed for ease of access, mote voice notes can transform your collaboration.
Link Previews
Shared URLs now preview in comments, so teammates can quickly read and respond.
Emojis
With mote, adding emojis to your comments in Google Docs, Slides and Sheets is easy as ?.
WeVideo is a cloud-based video editor that enables you create pro like videos on any device, including Chromebook, Windows, Mac, and Mobile. Cloud-based storage means there is no software to download and install, with the added flexibility of accessing your projects on any device. Get advanced with features like green screen to take your videos to the next level. Once you’ve finished your video, export in multiple formats and save directly to your Google Drive.
Sign-up
Sign-up and sign-in to WeVideo using your college Google account. This will make it easy to sign-in across all your devices and save your projects on Google Drive.
Let’s get started
To get started, select the type of project you’d like to create:
Video – Start a new video project;
Recording – Record your screen and webcam;
GIF – Create an animated GIF to embed in a presentation, website, or share on social media.
Import media
You can upload video and images directly from your device or add media stored on your Google Drive. After adding your media, simply drag it onto the timeline. WeVideo also includes a huge library of stock media footage.
Add transitions
To add a new transitions, click on the Transitions tab and drag the transition onto the timeline. Preview each transition by hovering your mouse over it and clicking Play.
Add audio
Add music and sound effects to your video. Browse the audio available in WeVideo or upload your own.
Add animated text
Use text for a title screen, credits, or label elements in your video project. Go to the text tab and then drag the text element onto the timeline. Afterwards, double click the text on the timeline to edit it.
Export and share your video
Exporting your video to share with the world is quick and easy. Press the finish button, name your project, select the appropriate resolution and press export. You can even ask WeVideo to save the export straight to your Google Drive.
WeVideo Academy
To learn more about WeVideo and discover how to creatively use video creation projects in the classroom go and explore the training available at the WeVideo Acadmey.
At Barton Peveril, we use a variety of technologies to make courses more engaging and improve access to learning for students. Online learning technologies like Google Classroom have brought exciting opportunities to reconsider how we teach, engage with or involve learners in different ways.
In this guide, we will look at some of the online learning technologies we have available that can be taken advantage of for distance learning in the event of a college closure due to Covid-19.
Live Online Lessons
Google Hangouts Meet is Google’s video conferencing tool that enables you to talk face to face with learners and engage with your class remotely. All your students need is Wi-Fi access and a device such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Lesson content can be shared in a live video stream with groups ranging from a few people up to hundreds. Hangouts Meet includes the ability to share your screen, ideal for displaying a presentation or other content with the class.
Google has recently made it possible to record a lesson hosted in Hangouts Meet as a video in your Google Drive. All lessons must be recorded, and if you wish these recordings can be shared in Google Classroom afterwards for students who couldn’t make it.
To improve the remote learning experience for teachers and students using Hangouts Meet, Google have made several improvements:
Only meeting creators can mute or remote other participants in a meeting;
Students cannot start/stop a meeting being recorded.
Google Classroom is a well-established online learning tool at Barton Peveril that you can use to keep students engaged while they’re at home. For instance, start a virtual class discussion to explore lesson content and talk about what they’re learning. You can also give students feedback about their work in Classroom when marking an assignment.
Tracking student understanding and progress can be achieved through combining Classroom with Google Forms. Quizzes in Forms offer automatic marking and enable you to embed content such as images and videos. When you share a Google Forms quiz using Classroom, you can easily assign it as an automatically marked assignment.
Screencastify allows you to record your screen, perfect for creating recorded lessons for a flipped classroom or distance learning. It is available as an extension in Google Chrome that can be used from a Chromebook, PC, or Mac. In addition to recording your screen, it combines annotation tools, adds a voice over with your microphone, while also including a picture-in-picture overlay of your webcam. Everything you record is saved to Google Drive so you can easily share the video with students in Google Classroom.
Screencastify is giving educators a premium upgrade to increase from the 5 minute limit in the free version. Go to account.screencastify.com/user/subscribe and use “redeem coupon” with the code CAST_COVID.
Flat IO – Write your music scores online with the easiest tool for creating sheet music together.
User friendly online music notation software that gives you all the tools that you need to make your own sheet music. You can write, listen, share and discover music scores right in your web browser on any device.
Invite your friends to compose your music scores online collaboratively. A single musical composition can be opened and edited in real time by multiple people using different devices at the same time.
Your music notation editor online in your web browser
Real-time collaboration and offline edition if you lose your internet connection
Compose with your MIDI devices: plug your device and play!
MusicXML, MIDI, PDF and Audio (MP3 and WAV) compatibility
Read and write music notation and guitar tablatures, together
Smart History: Browse all the modifications you made, note after note
Collaborate with video within Google Hangouts
Percussion instruments and notation to create amazing drum scores
Online digital and visual metronome to help you to practice easily
For teachers there is an Education version available. Flat for Education is designed for your music classroom. You can use it on any device to access and create your musical compositions or music education activities. Flat has a unique collaborative experience: let your students work in real-time on the same sheet music, whether you are in the classroom or working from home. It can also integrate with Google Classroom to make it easier with your classes.
Examples
You can see all the most popular creations on Flat.IO on their ‘Popular‘ page. We’ve added a few examples below:
Lil Nas X – Old Town Road made on Flat.IO using a Classical Guitar, Horn in C, Clarinet, Grand Piano and a Tuba.
TheGhostbusters Theme Song with a Grand Piano and a Drumset.
Soundtrap let’s you record instruments, vocals and use loops to make music anywhere.
Soundtrap for Education is a cloud-based platform that enables students to create music or podcasts. With Soundtrap, students can collaborate on projects using an extensive collection of quality loops, effects, and software instruments from anywhere in the world pretty much on any device. It also integrates with Google Classroom for effortless collaboration.
It’s worth noting that Students can’t sign up for this without a teacher already signing up beforehand. There is a free trial available for teachers and after that there is reduced pricing available for education.
For example, start a new song using all the built in professional loops and software instruments on your tablet when on the bus, continue on your Chromebook when arriving at home, invite a couple of friends, who are working on Mac and Windows devices, and conduct a video chat from within the studio coming up with the bass line for the song and finally find a didgeridoo player in the Soundtrap community laying down a unique ending of the song; you are all working in the same project seeing and hearing all the changes. It’s like Google Docs, but for music production!
See how teachers are using Soundtrap across subjects:
Hangouts Meet is Google’s video conferencing tool that also allows you to share your screen with attendees.
Hangouts Meet is Google’s video conferencing tool that enables you to to talk face to face and share your screen with others. Lesson content can be shared in a live video stream with groups ranging from a few people up to hundreds of users. You can use it on the web at meet.google.com, on your Android device and on iOS devices. You can either just jump straight into a Video Meeting or schedule one for a later date and time in Google Calendar.
One of the best features of Hangouts Meet is it’s ability to provide live captions/subtitles which can be turned on by anyone who needs it.
We’ve written up a quick run through of Hangouts Meet and how to get started below.
STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO FOLLOW THIS VIDEO CONFERENCING ETIQUETTE GUIDE TO ENSURE YOU CAN TEACH WITHOUT INTERUPTION.
Starting a video meeting
You can start a new session by opening Hangouts Meet in the web or in the app and clicking Start a new meeting or pressing the Plus + icon.
In both methods, once you’ve set up the meeting, you’ll then be offered the chance to invite people to join you.
Scheduling a video meeting
To schedule a meeting for the future, simply head to Calendar and create an event then click on Add Conferencing and it will automatically create a Hangouts Meet session ready for the set date and time.
You can then invite guests to the event and they’ll all receive the information to join the video call.
Joining a video meeting
Joining a video meeting can be done in a number of different ways depending on how it’s been set up. You can click the link in your calendar appointment, or your meeting text or email. You can type in the meeting code on the Hangouts Web website or even dial in to the meeting on a physical phone.
Calendar Appointment
Email Link
Meeting Code
Phone Dial In
Adding people to a meeting
If you need to add more people to a meeting after the initial setup that is easy to do using one of two methods.
Option1 – Click the People tab in the top right then Add People and enter their email addresses.
Option2 – Click the meeting name in the bottom left corner of the screen and copy the joining info so you can then paste that in to your own email to whoever you want.
You can find more information here including how to remove people.
Change your computer’s Video & Audio settings
Meet will pick up your default camera, speaker and microphone which in most cases will be the only ones you have however if you plug in alternative devices to use instead, it should then automatically pick these up instead of any built-in device.
More information can be found here and steps for changing the settings within the mobile apps can be found here.
Sharing your screen
Sharing or ‘Presenting’ your screen is possible on computers and iOS devices but not currently supported on Android devices. On the computer you can opt to share your whole screen or just an individual window whereas on the iOS device you can only share your whole screen.
To present on your computer just look for the Present now button in the bottom right of the meeting window then select if you want to share your entire screen or a window. Sharing just a window will allow you to share just a presentation or document whilst allowing you to continue working on your computer.
More information including how to take over presenting from someone else can be found here.
ThingLink allows you to seamlessly make any photo, video or 360 content into an interactive experience with text, links, sound, images, videos and calls to action.
You can narrate a 360 tour, make an infographic, create an interactive treasure map or just document your holiday. There are so many possibilities with ThingLink.
Want to learn more about ThingLink? Take a look at their slide-deck.
The example below I made quickly in 5 minutes, hover your mouse and click on the little information tags on the image. Scroll down to the bottom to see a 360 example from Nagh-Jahan Square in Iran,
